2010年ESL之商务英语 24 Being Lazy and Energetic_在线英语听力室

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24 Being Lazy and Energetic

GLOSSARYto wake up – to awaken¹; to stop sleeping* If I didn’t use an alarm clock, I probably wouldn’t wake up before noon.

out of it – unaware² of what is happening around oneself, often because one isthinking about something else* You’ll probably feel out of it for a few hours after the surgery until theanesthesia wears off.

to sleep on the job – to sleep at work; to sleep while one is being paid to work* We’ve caught Jorge sleeping on the job a few times since his son was born.

Apparently³ the baby is keeping him awake at night.

literally⁵ – with the actual meaning of the words, not just a figurative (symbolic)meaning* Were you literally working on your essay all night, or is that just your way ofsaying that you spent a lot of time on it?

So what? – an informal phrase meaning “I don’t care” or to show that one thinkswhatever another person has said is very unimportant⁶ or irrelevant⁷* - I can’t believe Julius died his hair green. It looks horrible!

* - So what? It’s only hair, and it will grow back.

sluggish⁸ – slow and without energy, often because one is very tired* Lyndon is always sluggish in the morning until he drinks a cup of coffee.

to fall down on the job – to not meet expectations; to do poorly; to not do all thethings one is supposed to do* Seboyeta used to be a good employee, but lately she has been falling down onthe job, not meeting deadlines and forgetting to call her clients.

hyper – overly excited, with a lot of energy and enthusiasm* When kids eat too much sugar, they get hyper and start misbehaving.

hard-working – trying very hard to do something well; making one’s best effort* Aziza doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he’s very hard-working, so he’s oneof our most valued employees.

as (something) as the next guy – a phrase used to compare people, showingthat someone is normal and likes or has something at least as much as otherpeople do* Dennis likes hot weather as much as the next guy, but after three weeks of 100-degree weather, he was ready for summer to end.

to jump through hoops¹⁰ – to work very hard to make a good impression andmake someone else happy* Aledo is tired of jumping through hoops to make a fancy dinner for his familyevery evening, so from now on he’s just going to make simple meals.

don’t make me laugh – a rude, informal phrase used when one doesn’t believewhat another person has said and thinks it is ridiculous* You think you can win the beauty contest? Don’t make me laugh! Have youseen a picture of yourself recently?

slacker¹¹ – a person who is very lazy, doesn’t do anything without being asked,and doesn’t have clear goals* That boy is a slacker and will never have a good job! Why don’t you datesomeone who knows what he wants to be when he grows up?

to learn by (one’s) example – to learn how to do something by watchinganother person do it; to learn through observation* Our children will learn by our example, so we have to be careful about what wesay and do in front of them.

energetic – with a lot of energy; without becoming tired* Dawson felt really energetic when he woke up on Saturday, so he spent theentire day cleaning the garage, mowing¹² the lawn, and fixing the roof.

productive¹³ – getting a lot of work done in a short period of time; using one’s timeefficiently to produce desired results* Ripley is a very productive worker who can assemble our products twice asquickly as any of our other employees.

a pain in the neck – someone who is very annoying and irritating¹⁵* Krissy’s new boss is a pain in the neck who insists on everything being doneperfectly.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. What does Elias mean when he says, “I can be a little out of it”?

a) It’s okay if he’s behind schedule today.

b) It’s okay if he doesn’t work all 8 hours today.

c) It’s okay if he doesn’t concentrate well today.

2. What does Elias mean when he asks, “Why are you so hyper?”

a) Why are you so full of energy?

b) Why are you so critical?

c) Why are you so negative?

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

out of itThe phrase “out of it,” in this podcast, means unaware of what is happeningaround oneself, often because one is thinking about something else: “Bettyseemed out of it during the interview.” The phrase “out of (something)” meanswithout anything left because it has all been used: “We’re out of mustard¹⁶ andbananas. Please add them to the grocery shopping list.” The phrase “out oforder” means not working properly when a machine is broken: “Three of the fourtoilets are out of order.” The phrase “out of sight” describes something onecannot see because it is too far away or hidden: “They watched the boat pullaway until it was out of sight.” Finally, the phrase “out of sight, out of mind,”

means that something is forgotten if it isn’t seen: “If you don’t have cookies inyour kitchen, you won’t want to eat them. Out of sight, out of mind.”

so whatIn this podcast, the informal phrase “so what?” is used to show that one thinkswhatever another person has said is very unimportant or irrelevant: “Misty wasreally worried about the stain on her dress, but her boyfriend said, ‘So what?

You can always buy another one.’” The informal phrase “so long” is used to saygoodbye: “I’m leaving now. So long!” The phrase “like so” is used when one isshowing someone how to do something: “Cut the carrot into small sticks, like so.”

Finally, the phrase “and so on” means et cetera, and is used at the end of a list toshow that other things could be added, too: “You’ll need to pack shirts, shorts,underwear, sandals, pajamas¹⁷, and so on.”

CULTURE NOTE

One character in American literature is famous for his “laziness” (lack of energyand motivation, not wanting to do anything): Rip¹⁴ Van Winkle. American authorWashington Irving wrote a short story called Rip Van Winkle about a man “of thesame name” (with the same name as the title of the book) who was very lazy.

Rip Van Winkle lived in a “village” (small town) where everyone liked him, excepthis wife. She “nagged” (repeatedly ask someone to do something) him all thetime. He was a “henpecked husband” (a man who is treated badly by hisdemanding wife). One day, to get away from the nagging¹⁸, he walked into themountains. He met some “ghosts” (the spirits of people who have died) and theyoffered him some “liquor” (alcohol). When he drank it, he fell asleep. When hewoke up, he walked back to the village, but then found out that twenty years had“gone by” (passed). His wife had “passed away” (died) and his friends had diedor left the village. One person, his daughter, recognizes him and he spends therest of his life with her, “as lazy as ever” (as lazy as he has always been). Otherhenpecked husbands in the village wish they could be as lucky as Rip VanWinkle and find a way to “be free of” (not have) a nagging wife.

Sometimes Americans use the phrase “to be a Rip Van Winkle” to describesomeone who suddenly wakes up and discovers that things have changed a lot.

For example, someone who spends 80 hours working each week might be a RipVan Winkle if he suddenly realizes that his children are almost fully¹⁹ grown and hehardly knows them because he has spent so much time away from them.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT²⁰

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast episode²¹ 636: Being Lazyand Energetic.

This is ESL Podcast episode 636. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming toyou from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide thatcontains a complete transcript of this episode. The Guide will help you learnEnglish faster – and give you bigger muscles!

This episode is a dialogue between Carmen and Elias. It uses a lot ofvocabulary related to the ideas of laziness and being energetic. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Carmen: Wake up! You’re supposed to be working.

Elias: Shhh, I’m trying to sleep. The boss is out of the office today, so I considerit a holiday. Today, I can be a little out of it if I want to be.

Carmen: Out of it? You’re sleeping on the job – literally!

Elias: So what? Aren’t you feeling a little tired on a Monday morning?

Carmen: I admit I’m a little sluggish, but that’s no reason to fall down on the job.

We both have work to get done and I’m doing it.

Elias: What’s wrong with you? Why are you so hyper? I’m as hard working asthe next guy, but I’m not going to jump through hoops when the boss is away.

Carmen: You, hard working? Don’t make me laugh! You’d better get back towork or when the boss gets back, he’ll call you a slacker again.

Elias: Okay, I’m learning by your example. I’m now as energetic and productiveas you are.

Carmen: Yeah? Doing what?

Elias: Telling my co-worker she’s a pain in the neck!

[end of dialogue]

Carmen begins by saying, “Wake up! You’re supposed to be working.” “Wakeup” means stop sleeping; awaken. Elias says, “Shhh, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Shhh” means, of course, stop making noise. Elias says he’s trying to sleep.

“The boss is out of the office today (meaning his boss is not there), so I considerit a holiday. Today, I can be a little out of it if I want to be.” “To be out of it”

means that you are not aware of what is happening around you; you’re thinkingof something else. You may be talking to your wife or your husband or your childand the other person doesn’t seem to be paying attention; they’re thinking aboutsomething else. You ask them a question and they said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasout of it. I wasn’t paying attention.” There are some other meanings for thisexpression, and those can be found in the Learning Guide.

Elias says he’s a little out of it. Carmen says, “Out of it? You’re sleeping on thejob – literally!” The expression “to sleep on the job” means that you are sleepinginstead of working; that’s the most obvious or literal⁴ meaning – the actualmeaning of the words is the meaning of “literally.” But also we use thisexpression to mean someone isn’t doing what they’re supposed be doing atwork; they’re not doing their job; they’re not paying attention.

Elias says, “So what?” “So what?” is an informal phrase meaning I don’t care, orit’s used to show that you think whatever the other person is talking about is notvery important. Elias says, “So what? Aren’t you feeling a little tired on aMonday morning?” Carmen says, “I admit I’m a little sluggish.” “To be sluggish”

(sluggish) means to be moving very slowly, without a lot of energy. She says,“that’s no reason to fall down on the job.” The expression “to fall down on thejob” means to do poorly, not to do what you are expected to do. Carmen says,“We both have work to get done and I’m doing it.” So, Elias is obviously the lazyone in this dialogue and Carmen is the energetic one. She has lots of energy;she works hard even on a Monday morning.

Elias then says, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so hyper?” “To be hyper”

(hyper) means that you are very excited, overly excited we might say, tooexcited. You have lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm, but it’s almost too much.

We often say that about, for example, young children, but it could also be saidabout an adult. Not about me, I am never overly energetic – trust me! Eliassays, “I’m as hard working as the next guy, but I’m not going to jump throughhoops when the boss is away.” The expression “to be hard working” means thatyou work hard; you are very serious about your job, you make sure you do thebest job that you can do. Elias says he is as hard working as the next guy. This expression, “to be as (something – in this case hard working) as the next guy,” or“to be as lazy as the next guy,” is used to compare people, showing that you arenormal – you are like other people; you don’t have anything less about thatquality than other people do, you might even have more of it. So, when Eliassays he is as hard working as the next guy, he means that he works just as hardas everyone else. “But,” he says, “I’m not going to jump through hoops when theboss is away.” The expression “to jump through hoops” (hoops) means to workvery hard to make someone, usually your boss, happy. The word “hoop⁹” refersto something that is basically a big circle with a hole in it. In basketball, forexample, the hoop is what you put the ball into and through. Sometimes we’dsay that we’re going to go play hoops, or play some hoops; that means we’regoing to play some basketball. And when I say “we,” I mean other peoplebecause I don’t really play basketball. Although, I was on my seventh gradebasketball team in junior high school, so if the Los Angeles Lakers, ourprofessional basketball team here, ever needs some help, I’m there to help them!

Elias is saying that he’s not going to jump through hoops. This expressionactually refers to a different kind of hoop. You may have heard of Hula Hoops,where you have a round circle of plastic that you put and you move your hipsvery quickly, and the circle – the hoop goes around your body. We also usethose kind of hoops, for example, in animal shows, especially dog shows. Youwould make the dog jump through the hoop. Well, that’s what Elias says he’s notwilling to do; he’s not willing to put on a show – he’s not willing to perform foranyone if the boss isn’t there, because there’s no one to perform for.

Carmen says, “You, hard working? Don’t make me laugh!” When someone says“don’t make me laugh” they’re saying that they don’t believe you. It’s a rude,informal phrase that is used to indicate that the other person is being ridiculous,that they are saying something stupid that you don’t believe. Carmen says,“You’d better get back to work (you better start working again) or when the bossgets back, he’ll call you a slacker again.” A “slacker” (slacker) is a lazy person,someone who doesn’t do anything unless you tell them or ask them, someonewho doesn’t really have a clear goal in his life, someone who doesn’t work hard.

It’s an insulting term to use about someone.

Elias says, “Okay, I’m learning by example,” meaning I’m observing you; I’mlearning by your example and I am getting that information and it is changing theway I think or what I do – I’m learning by your example. What is he learning?

Well, he says he’s now as energetic and productive as Carmen is. “To beenergetic” means to not become tired, to have lots of energy. “Productive”

means you get a lot of things done in a very short amount of time – a short period of time; you use your time very effectively. We all want to be productive whenwe’re at work – or at least we should want to be productive!

Carmen says, “Yeah? Doing what?” meaning how are you being productive.

Elias says, “Telling my co-worker she’s a pain in the neck!” His “co-worker” issomeone that he works with, in other words Carmen, and he’s being productiveby telling Carmen that she’s a pain in the neck. “A pain in the neck” is someonewho is very annoying, very irritating, someone who bothers you. It could also bea thing; you could say “This class I’m taking is a pain in the neck.” It’s difficult; itbothers me; I don’t like it. So, Elias ends our dialogue by insulting Carmen,saying that she is a pain in the neck.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.